WORKERS at a manufacturing  base which employs staff with  disabilities have spoken of their  shock after being told they face  redundancy.

Staff have been told that 15  employees at Pluss, which employs people with learning and  physical disabilities, will lose  their jobs.

The firm employs 131 people  across the city, but the job  losses affect the 30-strong manufacturing workforce, many of  whom are disabled, at its Marsh  Green Road premises.

 Unions have criticised the  move, saying the job losses are  being made so Pluss can attract  more Government funding for  training disabled people to NVQ  standards on short-term contracts.

Although this would mean  more disabled people getting  some form of training, the union Community says the move is  counter-productive as there is  little mainstream work available for disabled people.

There is also concern about a  new pay scale being introduced  which could see existing staff  being paid less. An able-bodied  worker from Pluss, who wished  to remain anonymous, said:  “We have been told there are  going to be redundancies — but  it just seems to me that the  company is targeting all the  low-paid workers, especially  people with disabilities and special needs.”

Another worker, who also   asked not to be named, said: “At  the end of the day, it is people  with learning disabilities and  other disabilities that are going  to be affected. But lots of these  people cannot understand what  is going on.”

A spokeswoman from Pluss  said  that its order books had  suffered in the last year, with   sales 30 per cent down.

She said: “Our goal  throughout this difficult time  was to safeguard jobs using a  period of temporary short-time  working. However, despite extensive negotiation with trade  unions we were unable to reach  a formal agreement.”

The spokeswoman added:  “We do, however, plan to create  12 new trainee posts where  people with disabilities can  come to work on short-term contracts to develop new skills and  qualifications.”